"They have been working very, very hard," Pataki said. "Some of them have been activated since the beginning."

The governors of Vermont, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts were asked to send about 600 troops to help with security at the World Trade Center ruins and elsewhere around the state.

Vermont said it would send at least 200 National Guard members to provide security at the trade center. Pataki said he was confident the other states would follow suit.

The call for assistance comes as New York tries to deal with the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attack and guard against future attacks. The governor also said retired state police troopers will be reactivated if needed.

New York National Guard troops have been providing security and other services at the trade center for more than a month. They also are deployed at 19 airports and a half-dozen nuclear reactors around New York. Those deployments are in additions to federal call ups.

A peak of about 5,000 soldiers were called to service statewide after the Sept. 11 attack, though that number has dropped. There are about 24,000 people in New York's guard.

Pataki also ordered state officials to halt all hiring and cut all nonessential spending because of economic problems created by the attack.

Pataki said his order was designed to save about $3 billion over the next 18 months. Pataki budget aides have said the terrorist attacks could cost the state up to $9 billion in lost revenue over the same period.